Cheating Craft - Reviews

Anime in 200 Words: Cheating Craft

Premise: Teenagers need to pass deadly tests in order to have good lives. The stakes are high enough that an extensive cheating ring has developed, and it looks more like a fighting anime than a school one.

Fan Service: There’s a fair amount of near-nudity in this show, which is not my cup of tea. If it weren’t included, I would have rated the show higher.

Powers: The powers that cheaters use really feel like they could have come straight from a shounen episode. I couldn’t stop myself from thinking of the written portion of the chunin exams in Naruto during the early episodes.

Portrayal of Women: Honestly, they are all used as props or featured in unnatural ways. This also hurt the show’s rating.

Social Commentary: At first, it seemed like this show would be a criticism of the harsh pressures in academia and the need to perform well in Japanese society in general. While there were shades of this idea, both the pacing and immaturity of the show prevented it from developing.

Overall: I wanted more from Cheating Craft than it delivered. I lost interest but still slogged through the final episodes.

It has NO PLOT. It is pure COMEDY, not to say parody.

Do not expect a story and plot, more like a thread followed through episodes about their relationships with each other, but nothing deep or detailed really.

It's all about their superpowers and impossible test conditions.

It's a comedy, it's funny, that's what it should be.

FUNNY EPP FOR EPP BASICALLY. That is what you shall expect while watching. I personally enjoyed watching it a lot while crafting so maybe because my attention was split it was good.

Episodes watched: 6 of 12

Main reason for low score: Lack of plot.

Secondary reason for low score: What just happened in that episode?! 

Okay, so the animation and sound are around average, I suppose. I neither noticed anything special or anything particularly bad. And that's the best thing I can say for this anime, outside of episode one which set me up with hope for a decent comedy.

The problem is, when I say lack of plot, I'm not just referring to the anime as a whole. Even comedies should have some sort of storyline, something to give the comedy a solid stepping stone. I enjoyed Baka to Test, and I have zero problem with shows being absolutely ridiculous, but this was... just stupid. Like somebody had taken a load of tropes and thought it would make a great anime.

Uh, no.

Episode six really was the bail out point for me. It was just... odd. And not in a good way.

Idea good. Execution, terrible.

ATTENTION!!! This review is a first impressions review based off the first two episodes.

Just from the description, I expect a mess. The entire first episode only further convinces me that this is probably not worth watching. But what the hec.

The idea isn’t anything new. A similar idea appears in Assassination Classroom and Baka to Test, and a couple others I don’t remember the name of. Tests/grades determine who succeeds in life.  Battles are fought.

The whole thing is kind of hilarious but not in the laugh and enjoy a comedy hilarious but the this is so stupid and ridiculous it’s almost funny..but not hilarious. Then again, I hated Baka to Test which is really similar.

The episodes are short, about 12 minutes long. The animation and sound are average.

The first episode is just an introduction. It spends about 11 minutes explaining how it all works and showing an example. Then it introduces us to what I assume is the main character and second main character in a scene which looks like they are about to enter the almighty test to determine their fate…If that’s what they are doing, I hope they take this test more than once or this anime is less than 12 episodes. Otherwise, I can’t imagine how it could possibly be interesting to drag one test out for 12 episodes. I get it’s a battle, but you would think, if the people in charge were as serious as they supposedly are about this test, they would take a lot more precautions to stop people from cheating. I get it’s a comedy and supposed to be ridiculous…but some things are just too much. I mean people more concerned with a test than with them being alive long enough for that test to even matter is a bit silly.

The second episode was actually less impressive. The characters are hardly introduced, the situation is vague, and the characters use various odd and somewhat ridiculous techniques to cheat. They show some ofit as ifit were outside and try to make it like an action anime when the characters are actually still sitting in desks. I'm not laughing. I'm not interested. I'm thinking I never want to watch another episode of this....ever!

Of course this is the only anime this particular studio has made so I suppose expecting too much would be just as silly as the show.

(The above is simply my opinion. You are free to agree or disagree. If you don't like it, write your own review or just forget you ever read mine)

Taking exams and need to blow off steam

Only watched the first episode of this one. The title “Cheating Craft” sounded interesting, attracted me. This is pure over the top parody of a present obsession with acing the exams to get the best jobs for life in Japan. I am not sure how genuine this phenomenon is in Japan. Do the students with best grades gain exclusive access to the best career positions?

I do agree that our contemporary society has developed an unhealthy obsession with a very specific type of education. In the more distant past the majority of people trained up through apprenticeships for most kinds of work. Today it is all technology institutes, colleges and universities. I think it is leading to a narrowing of abilities and a growing distance from work related activities.

As for the anime, there is nothing too specific to say about it. Animation, voice acting, music track is all below mediocre. It is about some students doing and cheating at exams. The comedy is pretty situational. You will get a chuckle or two from it.