Cencoroll - Reviews

Cencoroll

Before watching Cencoroll it is important to keep in mind this 27 minute movie (based off a one short manga titled Amon Game) was written, directed, designed, and animated by one man- Atsuya Uki. Now, a 27 minutes anime leaves little room for plot and character development, but this does not take away from the overall enjoyment of the film.

Story (7/10):

When Yuki discovers one of her classmate, Tetsu, has been keeping a shape shifting monster, Cenco, as a pet she becomes instantly curious and begins to follow the two around. When another boy, Shu (who controls a monster like Cenco), shows up literally out of nowhere conflict ensues.

As mentioned above, there is not much time for the plot to properly unfold and that is one of the few drawbacks of Cencoroll. The viewer is introduced to an extraordinary world but is not given enough time to truly get a taste of it, which can leave some unsatisfied.

If surrealness is not your cup of tea then I cannot with a good conscious suggest Cencoroll to you. This anime is odd, but in the best possible way. Cencoroll is not one of those animes that tries too hard to be different, resulting in a total rejection of the show. You are always given a moment to take in what has occured and sort it out.

The film gave the impresstion you were watching a long preview for a new anime series.

Animation (10/10):

One of the redeeming qualities in this short film is the art and animation. Some argue that the character design is too plain, but I completely disagree. The character style is very fluent, crisp, and refreshing. The facial expressions are outstanding.

The beautiful and detailed landscapes/cityscapes are presented brilliantly and a highlight of the film. As are the fighting scenes and the transformations done by Cenco. It is astounding that such amazing animation was done by one man.

Sound (8/10):

There is very little background music in this anime. While many animes use music to intensify scenes Cencoroll does not, adding to it's overall surrealness. You can though hear the sounds of crickets, leaves rustling, and whatever else you would expect to hear in Japan. All is very realistic.

The ending theme, titled Love & Roll by Supercell, is a upbeat and fun song.

Characters (8/10):

I can understand characters getting a lower rating. With no character development it leaves the viewer with a very one-dimensional feel for the cast.

I found the characters lovable despite this. Tetsu seemed indifferent to everything going on around him and was not surprised by much. His somewhat dull (but still lovable!) personality was evened out by Yuki. Kana Hanazawa, who is known for her moe roles, voiced Yuki. She does a wonderful job of showing Yuki's curiousness. Cenco, whose only motivation is to feed himself is funny, even though he says nothing. The three together make a comical team who are a pleasure to watch. Shu, our antagonist of the film, is very cocky and holds an air of mystery around him. He added a good flare to the show.

Even with the lack of character development I am giving characters a high rating because I enjoyed watching them so much.

Overall (8/10):

Cencoroll is a diamond in the rough. Its biggest drawback is its length, and if given more run time could be exceptional. I suggest this anime to anyone who does not mind a bit of weirdness or has 30 minutes to spare.

Story

This is basicaly a 27 minute movie about a girl meeting a boy who has a monster/alien/whatever and them fighting another boy who has two monster/alien/whatever things.  The plot isn't very deep and leaves alot of things unexplained, but it makes up for it by being an entertaining and fun action fest.

Animation

The animation is great!  The backgrounds are quite detailed and the action scenes are awesome.  I also liked watching Cenco transform as well.

Sound

There isn't much background music, but there is plenty of ambient noise (such as crickets chirping) that helps enhance the scenes.  Also, the ending song is very good.

Characters

The main girl character is probably the most developed character in the show and manages to have some character growth (despite the show being only 27 minutes).  The boy protagonist doesn't get as much character development as the girl, but the interactions between him and Cenco (as well those between him and the girl) are quite amusing.  The boy antagonist doesn't really get any development at all (other than he's cocky) and most of his motivations are unexplained (he wants his large alien/monster thing to assimilate with Cenco, but there is never any reason given for it).  Then there is Cenco, who manages to have quite a bit of personallity despite never saying a word the entire show.

Overall 

If you come into this show expecting something deep and profound, you will be disappointed.  However, if you come into this show expecting a fun "leave you brain behind and enjoy the ride" action-type show, there is plenty of enjoyment to be found. 

Not bad actualy. I realy enjoyed this strange, a bit melancholick story and the whole... well, whole. So the story is a about a boy and a girl (not a love one though) So the boy have a strange creature that came from god knows where, and that creature can transform into anything. Oh, and the boy can alsow control it, in a way... if the creaure wants it ^^ One day The Girl finds The Boy and his creature, and comes into strange fighting (as a viewer/contestan) over these creatures.

And thats prety much all of the story.

So i recomend this somehow beautiful story to everyone, from ecchi lovers to Narutards to watch. And alsow especialy for those who liked "5 centimeters per second" cus i dont know why but think that they are somehow similar (dont ask why)

Story: 5/10
A giant walking steamed bun with the ability to transform into other things fights another giant steamed bun in an unknown Japanese city while three high school students wrest control over these creatures out of each others' hands (or, more accurately, minds).

Giant steamed bun number one, whose actual name is Cenco, is handled by a young teen named Tetsu.  Cenco has a mind of its own and while he's generally content to listen to Tetsu, there are instances where their relationship takes a turn for the dark and grim.  When they're discovered by a young girl named Yuki, it begins to look like Tetsu might not be as in control as was originally assumed.

This is the plot of Cencoroll, an ambitious one-man project by writer, director, animator, and mangaka Atsuya Uki. Ambitious as it may be, however, the story is riddled with plot holes and unanswered questions; it ends up feeling more like a promo or a recap episode of a longer series. All things considered, however, it's well-planned, taking on the "kids and monster pals" trope, playing some things straight and flipping others on their heads.

Animation: 7/10
Cencoroll's animation is crisp, clear, and nicely detailed, especially when considering the fact that it was almost entirely animated by one person.  All of Cenco's transformations are smooth and it's obvious that Uki has put a tremendous amount of work into every frame.  Characters retain their proportions and there are hardly any instances where things look clunky or unwieldly.

The three human characters are designed to be easily recognizable, even considering that their color palettes are composed of no more than three colors each.  In another show, their designs would relegate them to stock characters, but because of Cencoroll's small cast and its shortage of manpower behind the scenes, not much variation is needed.  In fact, in Cencoroll's case, the character designs work well, allowing things to be animated well without having to expend energy on vividly colored outfits or odd hairstyles.

Backgrounds are nicely detailed and colored, but never try to function as anything besides backdrops. And there's no reason for them to, since Cencoroll's focus is on its characters and not its setting.

Sound: 6/10
Comprising a nice group of professional voice actors, Cencoroll's cast never really tries to be spectacular, but instead simply serviceable.  None of the VAs will win any awards for their work in Cencoroll, but character's emotions and personality are expressed well by each VA.

There's not much in the way of music in Cencoroll, but the ending theme "Love and Roll" is an energetic, sweet piece, done by Supercell, the same folks who performed the Bakemonogatari ending theme.  It fits Cencoroll's character-driven sci-fi setting well, interspersing its tender, romantic verses with a higher-energy, electropop-influenced chorus and background track.

Character: 6/10
With a small cast and only two main human characters, Cencoroll still only seems to have time to develop one of them fully.  Tetsu is a loner focused on keeping Cenco and other similar creatures a secret from society at large.  He never really receives much development beyond that, and it could be argued that he's more of a plot device to help Yuki, the female protagonist, grow as a person.

Yuki is a girl who discovers the duo and, intrigued by Cenco, tags along with them for a day.  While Tetsu initially brushes her off as an annoyance, she eventually proves herself to him with her determination and bravery.

The antagonist, Shu, has very going for him besides being an antagonist.  His own steamed bun pet is apparently going to devour Cenco to gain more power and continue to survive, but neither Shu nor Tetsu seem to have a reason for keeping these creatures around or for caring about their continued survival.

Overall: 6/10
Cencoroll is an entertaining, lighter take on the kinds of monster stories that Alien Nine and Shadow Star Narutaru have previously toyed with.  What it lacks in substance and plot it patches over with an obvious appreciation for its forebears in the genre and its refusal to take itself too seriously.

Cencoroll is some simple fun that goes nowhere. That is all it is, and all it strives to be. That isn't a bad thing, but actually is rather nice. The monsters are kinda cool I suppose. The characters manage to be a mixed bag even in such short a time. Still, there is some charm to it. Is it worth twenty seven minutes of your time?

Eh. Maybe.

It doesn't merit any more talk that that.