StoryAfter accidentally mislabelling a folder as Ayashi no Ceres (don’t ask), I found myself wading into the untold depths of mushy,
middle school romance instead of the darker angst I was hungering for.
Perhaps this placed me in the wrong mindset to watch Futakoi, but this is one harem show that was definitely not for my tastes, especially not after so recently watching the sublime Shuffle.
Nozumu is the typical harem protagonist – thrust into a situation in
which he is surrounded by a group of doting females, he naively ignores
their feelings and breaks a few hearts along the way. His indecisive
nature and complete ignorance is nothing but frustrating and does not
make for an interesting storyline. The main selling point for Futakoi is the twins’ effect; a "quirk" in which you buy one and get one free
on every potential love interest. Unfortunately, this duplicity is not
used to its full effect, making it a pretty weak excuse to deluge the
main protagonist with even more skirt. This pointless tedium continues
throughout the show; although the plot is simple and "nice", the lack
of excitement makes a relatively short series extremely dull, to the
point where I would make mental shopping lists rather than paying
attention.
The series ultimately ends where it started, and it is only as I write
this review that I realise that essentially nothing happened in the 13
episodes. Sure, there are typical beach and cultural festival episodes,
but the romantic central plot does absolutely sod all. No ecchi, no
flirting and, most importantly for me, no decision on which girl to
choose. Also, hardened perversion fans need to abandon all hope of some
forbidden twincest...AnimationFair to middling, the animation serves its purpose without being standout. The focus of Futakoi is primarily its characters, and so the backgrounds do nothing but set
the scene. Studio ufotable seem to have a stock supply of wide eyed and
innocent characters, and yet again draw from the pool for this series.
However, I would have expected something a little more special from a
2004 show, especially as the character movement was so awkward and more
reminiscent of something from the last century.SoundOne of the reasons I tend to dislike school drama is the unnecessary
pairing of high-pitched squeakiness to at least one female character.
Now, add the twins dimension and Futakoi becomes twice as
irritating as other underage harem shows. Nozumu’s voice actor seems to
be in a state of perpetual pain that never eases up, maybe this is
because he has had enough of the self-centred and annoying whine of the
Sakuragi sisters. The OP and ED are mushy, romantic ditties that fit
the feel of the show perfectly – sickly sweet and easily skippable.CharactersNozumu is a sap with absolutely no redeeming qualities, aside from his
“niceness”. As with many other mediocre harem anime, I really don’t
understand why a group of diverse females feel the need to throw
themselves at such a weak and indecisive character. Even hopes of a
resolution to the dating issue are not answered in the finale, and each
set of twins seems to come to the conclusion that they will continue
the battle for their idols heart. Futakoi's characters make the
show just a little too saccharin sweet for my tastes, and the adorable
school crushes fell short of the mark for me – especially as the viewer
is left hanging at the end.
The twins as characters would have had just as much use if they were
one single entity. I’m not sure if it was intentional, but the girls
are difficult to distinguish and their personalities unremarkable.
KiraYura aren’t even deserving of individual dissection, as the writers
really drive home the sisterly plot by giving them the same lines and
irritating habits.OverallIt’s not bad; then again, it’s not good either. Its average; nothing more, nothing less. Futakoi has a lot of potential, but neither comes to provide a gripping story
for slice of life fans, nor enough panty shots to be a forbidden ecchi
anime that would have made it much more interesting. Drama fans should
instead try Kanon or Air for some sickly sweet romance, and ecchi fans look to Kiss x Sis for some very naughty twin eroticism that tackles the idea utterly
shamelessly. However, almost everyone who has seen this claim that Futakoi Alternative is both better and more enjoyable. Only one way to find out...
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