Kaginado - Reviews

If you know Isekai Quartet, that's basically what you're getting with Kaginado starring the Key Visual Novels/ Anime casts Clannad, Kannon, Lilttle Busters, Rewrite,Planetarium and more. While at first I did enjoy the crossovers and the characters interacting with each other but then it got old really fast with the meta humor making the experince feel a bit dry and cynical somehow. It was a decent idea to make the episodes last around 4 minutes since the episodes are just dedicated to a joke instaed of a story. Some jokes might make you laugh and some you'll see coming and just get on your nerves.

Isekai Quartet is at least fun a gag series to see the characters placed in an unfamiliar setting, a school, playing roles you'd never expect and the playful jokes make up for the lack of story or strong animation. While Key's VNs have humor but meta humor doesn't suit them or because it's overdone with other animes or Kaginado's execution just again feels cheap or mean spirited.

If you're a fan of Key's VNs and animes, treat Kaginado like a bonus feature and don't expect much.

I would have taken another week to officially watch all the episodes in this unique series of chibi-style characters interacting in a bizarre mix of unrelated animation features before trying a review.  But then came the ending of the eleventh episode where one of the characters bemoaned the fate of having to go another episode.

I can take a hint.  One more episode probably wouldn't change my attitudes toward this series of short features with slams you with a sea of characters from memorable anime series with those that I haven't seen before.  Kagi-nado offers a fresh glimpse at a conglomerate of anime presentations that have been brought together in such a random way offering short episodes which never develop too far beyond slapstick comedy.  Or was it dark comedy?

The premise of the twelve short features is a gathering of great Kyoto Animation projects (Clannad, Air, and Kanon) with JC Staff's Little Busters, 8-Bit's Rewrite, and David Production's Planetarian.  The characters of these five diverse series supply the cannon fodder for a simple theme.  These kids are brought together to attend Kaginodo Academy.  The episodes explore the facets of high school life, particularly the contrasts of the 'populars' vs. the 'unpopulars' (Sunohara, this means you and your ilk are 'chopped liver.'  Suck it up and take that abuse!).  Features of school life are lampooned in 4-minute doses, such as club activities, athletic teams competing for prominence, school festivals, friendships.

But there is a twistedness to the Kagi-nado experience.  One episode has the chibi girls model swimwear with the typical attitudes toward cuteness and breast size.  Sisters rip into each other as Ryou disses twin sister Kyou for stealing kisses (major personality transformation) and then gets an opportunity to bean Kyou with a fastball.  The search for one's soulmate gets kinky, with or without the use of a crystal ball.

Granted, it is nice to see Ayu (Kanon) interact with Nagisa (Clannad) and to have more girls than the cast of Kanon give Yuichi dirt.  And for those unfamiliar with Planetarian's Hoshino, Kagi-Nado raises enough curiosity for anime fans to explore other series.  Good introductions and re-introductions.  Just get by the sophomoric humor (take it like a man, coward!  It's only four minute shots).

Some might wonder about the selection process.  Some fans didn't like the absence of Angel Beat! characters, even though the high school connection is clear with AB!  And the scenarios are uniquely the same.  Still, one must account for copywrite law and permission for use of character and concept.

Kagi-nado is chibi with an evil twist, almost playing on the complexity of the storylines of many of Kyoto Animation's greatest classics.  It's fun anime, but it has this taint of sadism that comes off poorly with characters whose productions you have gained a deal of respect.  There's the disconnect I can't get over.