heloise.kemmer - 2015-02-23 06:53:29

The problem with previous Key VN adaptations were they'd take the tragic ending instead of the "Best Ending" route to encourage people who watched the shows to actually go play the games. Angel Beats and LB!:R are exceptions.

While it worked for Angel Beats, it doesn't quite work here, because the whole concept of the story was ultimately revealed to prepare Riki for the future, and this melodrama was totally made moot once they decided "you know what, everyone gets to live happily in the end." and totally ruins the buildup they spent episodes and episodes earlier. I have never been upset by a happy ending as much as I did watching LB!:R. Which is shocking.

kohler.hanna - 2014-01-04 12:07:46

Little Busters Refrain is probably the most important part of the whole series. Continuing on from my review on the prequel "Little Busters", Refrain does not have romantic elements despite being mentioned in the genre. Because the original source for Refrain didn't contain romance either my opinion of the series was not hindered as much as the the prequel.

Refrain talks about the secret to the setting of the prequel or the "true route" in the visual novel. This sequel is all about confrontations and answers, resolution and resolve. The story talks about fixing broken bonds and building stronger friendships.

Story 8/10

- The story adaption of Refrain was near perfect, the downfall being it being squashed and rushed but being a 13 episode series it was expected. Although there were a few things which were changed from the original source, the change was a lot more suitable for this 13 episode series than the original story. This nice story adaption gets an 8.

Animation 8/10

- Just like my review on the prequel I don't really have much to complain about.

"Since the original source material was nothing but stationary images transitioning. Unlike other Key productions the character did not have eyes covering half their face which was nice to see. The animations were quite smooth and the art was great. The animations were at their peak during the comedic shenanigans, which is important when attracting the audience's attention. The animation was the best thing about the series so it received an 8."

Sound 7/10

- Just like my review on the prequel I don't really have much to complain about.

"I have no complaints with the sound either since it follows the soundtrack of the original source material. The seiyuus of both the series and the vn were great. To be honest I for one didn't think there was anything special about the soundtrack both the series and the vn. Despite being a biased mark It received a 7."

Character 7/10

- Although I gave the prequel a measly 5 for this category, Refrain has represented the bonds and interrelationships between friends very nicely. The characters in Refrain truly show how strong their friendship is, which is a lot better than what the characters were like in the prequel.

Enjoyment 8/10

- I really enjoyed Refrain, a lot more than its prequel. This adaption was near perfect to its original source.

Overall 8/10

- To those who actually enjoyed the prequel, you will love Refrain. To those who watched Little Busters but didn't think much of it, you should give Refrain a try. To those who played the vn, you will not be let down with this adaption.

kenton39 - 2013-12-31 11:49:22

Impression

I’d always thought Riki’s narcolepsy was just a condition he’s had all along, instead of being induced through a traumatic event (waking up to the death of his parents). Given that his parents died in a car accident, I suppose I can’t exactly blame him for falling asleep when faced with a similar experience, especially as it this time it involved the lives of everyone he cares about. The rescue definitely had a really tense atmosphere – I was terrified that everything would just blow up while Riki and Rin were still carrying people out (and as they’d left them lying next to the bus all the survivors would catch fire and die anyway). While it was very relieving to see Komari be the first one carried to safety (being the epitome of innocence and all) I was pretty sure that at least one of them wouldn’t make it – and that it’d be our hero Kyousuke plugging up the gas leak. It was a wonderful moment watching him acknowledge Riki’s newfound strength… but the cynic in me is questioning whether they actually survived at all. Those flames were very real… and when you factor in Riki’s gasp, the colour change before the explosion and their distance from the bus, you’ve gotta wonder whether the three of them even made it out of the clearing.

We could then chalk up the final half of the episode to be some sort of surreal dream sequence for Riki (maybe Kyousuke’s time spent comatose fits into there somehow) but that would be far too depressing, so let’s maintain the idea that they’re all alive and well Of course, there’s no way I want Kyousuke to die after seeing how much of a bro he is, and I don’t want to desecrate all those adorable Mio moments either! I definitely missed seeing everyone just goof around together, which is something we’ve hardly seen this season; of course, the atmosphere wasn’t quite right for that. You’d think they’d all be a bit more cautious though – despite having just survived a heart wrenching bus accident, I love how everyone just decided to pile into a van and drive off to the beach for a second field trip! All those shots were amazing – there was a lovely one of Kurugaya and Komari, and J.C. Staff decided to indulge the both the bromance Riki x Kyousuke shippers as well as the (arguably canon) Riki x Rin pairing with that near kiss.But yes, I thought Mio was kawaii as fuck.

Speaking as an anime-only viewer, I thought that was a great ending to the series. I had really high hopes for Refrain after J.C. Staff managed to hit the ground running with the pilot episode, and as a whole they satisfied my expectations. Unlike many of the sequels this season (and sequels in general) Refrain was definitely superior to its predecessor, in everything from its plot to its feels – although I suppose it’d be slightly unfair to compare them like that, given that this is supposed to be the “true” route to the series. Characters-wise, we had a fair bit of development for the original Little Busters group – even though lots of material was cut out of Rin’s route, I still liked watching her bond with Riki (though things were rather scant on the romantic side of things; I don’t recall a kiss for example). And even though I always found Kyousuke rather cool, I gained solid respect for him the night I watched Episode 10. Looking back, that scene plus the collapse of the dream world were probably the pinnacle of feels for me.

As some have suggested to me, my next step will be to explore the VN! I’m pretty hyped up for that; if I’ve got time I might even give it a go before the end of the Christmas break. Thanks for staying till the end – I’ll definitely be back for

, when it airs in the near future.

aurelia63 - 2013-12-29 09:14:48

Scenario I: You are having the adventure of your life, flirting and finally falling in love with the most beautiful girl you ever came across, crossing never before discovered dungeons, solving puzzles, fighting villains, saving the world and then boom! you wake up and realize that it was all a dream and you have to get up and go to your daily boring work.
Scenario II: You are at your home, laughing off with your friends, embracing your wife in a hug, playing with your kids, relaxing in the most comfortable chair while sipping the finest of the fine whisky in front of a warm fireplace and then boom! you wake up and realize that you are in the middle of a war, every bone in your body feels like its about to break, you can barely manage to lift your weapon, the enemy is closing in on your position and you are about to die.
Watching Little Busters! (Season 1 and 2) has been something akin to watching someone go through Scenario II. Scenario II might make for a good VN because you are emotionally invested, but can it make for a good anime? (Disclaimer: I have not played any VN and that includes Little Busters!)

Story: The theme of the story is friendship and growth. Saying anything more than this would be a spoiler, so I will hold back for the moment and let us analyze the story telling model. I already compared the story telling of Little Busters! to that of Scenario II in the introduction. Imagine someone going through Scenario II and you are made to watch that, where the large part of the story involves him having happy times and only in the very end, you see his imminent death. The impact of every happy moment is realized only at the very end of the story, but until then, it would feel a bit boring because there is no drama, no mystery, nothing to keep someone interested enough. The case is similar with Little Busters! Season 1 was uninteresting. I don't want to downplay the story arcs of the girls, because there were some very touching moments, but they were far and few and not enough to keep you engaged throughout the season. Season 2 (Refrain) started strong (Kurugaya <3 [1]), but soon it felt that it might repeat Season 1, until you reach the final few episodes and the whole thing was turned upside down. While the final few episodes made the whole thing (Season 1 and Season 2) worthwhile, I cannot help but ask the question, "Was there a better way to tell this story?". Looking at the ending, I realized that there were several hints peppered throughout Season 1 and Season 2, but they were so subtle that you would easily miss them. Then I ask, "Maybe if they had put these hints to better effects, could it have been more engaging?". To be honest, I don't know the answer to these question, but yet I feel that there might have been a better way to keep the viewers more engaged given how strongly emotional the ending was. While keeping a boulder on my heart (trust me on this), I give the story a 6/10.

Animation: The animation in Refrain was far better than what we saw in Season 1. However, even though it improved leaps and bounds, for some reason, the animation quality wasn't consistent episode to episode. For the final episodes however, I was willing to overlook everything about the animation just because the story had so much impact.

Sound: Easily the hallmark of Little Busters! Refrain. Not that the music was beautiful (which it is) but the amount of care taken in the details impressed me a whole lot more. This is Little Busters! Refrain OP "Boys be Smile"

Those who have finished this anime would notice several blatant hints given in the OP itself. Also, the lyrics and the video matches so seamlessly, that it leaves your mouth open (Of course one would only realize this after he/she completes the anime :P). The background music left much to be desired. However, some of the piano arrangements were blissful.

Character: One of the problems I have with Little Busters! (both Season 1 and 2) is the unbalanced attention to characters. All characters introduced have been given good backgrounds and yet the amount of attention given to each is completely unbalanced. This creates a problem of relating to each one of them especially given that we have 10 characters overall. At the same time, given the plot twist at the end, all of that could be justified. However, this makes for a very unsatisfactory experience on the whole.

Enjoyment: I have said this before and I will say it again, the last few episodes of this series is what makes the whole package worthwhile and enjoyable. So much so, that I re-watched Season 1 after episode 11 just to make myself feel better. At the same time, objectively it is a bad design choice to have so much impact at the very end. Because, it almost (almost) would give the impression that the plot twist was pulled out of the ass.

Overall: To be honest, the only reason I trudged through Season 1 and continued with Refrain was because a friend (who has played the VN) insisted that I do so. However, I have to say, I haven't regretted this decision. This anime is definitely worth a watch, if only once. However, I think it is better to see this anime in its entirety (Season 1 and 2) and in a single marathon session. That way, it has a much better impact. However, this is entirely due to how the story unfolds (as I explained earlier) and I truly do wonder if there was a better way to showcase this story. However, if you are on the fence about this anime, do give it a shot, otherwise Kurugaya's opinion about you might be ;-)

[1] <3 <3 <3 <3 Yui-chan <3 <3 <3 <3