This Boy is a Professional Wizard

hamletsmage Apr 9, 2016

7

It took me a  bit to gather my thoughts for this review, because there are pros and cons to every aspect of this short anime. And a lot of the enjoyment a viewer would get from this anime is really hit or miss in terms of story, animation, and characters. So, I'll try and summarize that without spoiling too much.  Story: Obviously, with a short anime, there isn't going to be too much of a story, just enough to give an introduction to the characters and have one rising conflict. In this anime, the rising conflict is self-evaluation, like a lot of BL, but this one isn't about one of the protagonists trying to decide if he is gay or not, which is refreshing.  Animation: I personally liked the style of this animation, but others might dislike the style. It reminds me of the old PBS programs that read picture books for kids, because the animation style looks like a picture book come to life. I would honestly say this is a secondary style for CoMix, and can also be found in Kakurenbo. Sound: I liked the voice actors for this one, even if there were only a handful, but the OP and ED were a tad forgettable.  Characters: Here's the make-or-break point for a romance anime, do the characters mesh well? I would say the storyline gives enough for the characters feelings to be believeable. The downside to this particular anime is that all of the focus and character development is on Chiharu. Toyohi is given some depth, but feels rather flat comparitively.  Overall: I liked the anime. It has it's weak points, but it's still fairly enjoyable. 

CaptainSlow Feb 28, 2016

5.5

What I Liked: The stunning, dynamic and colourful visuals, which uses a layered look to create a dreamy atmosphere. The visual depictions of Chiharu's self-perception in episode 3. Unlike the other KonoDan installments, characters looked mostly proportional with clean lines and distinctive designs. Nice integration of Live2D for character animation. The set designs are varied and interesting, while contrasting well with one another. Good sound design that complements the various SFX and asides. What I Didn't: YMMV on the ending - some viewers may find it idyllic and sweet, others may find it insulting in its idealism. Toyohi isn't given a lot of character development. Character movement still looks a little stilted when it comes to anything more than mouth movement. The plot is rather shallow, seemingly following a checklist of shounen-ai tropes. Characters are rather uninteresting on their own, even with the focus on Chiharu's conflicts in the later half of the show. The opening theme, while nicely animated, was rather forgettable. Final Verdict: While it feels much more polished than the other entries in the KonoDan franchise, this installment was exactly what I expected from Soubi Yamamoto - a fluffy, emotion-filled love story that excels in the visuals department but struggles badly in the plot and characterisation departments. I imagine most BL fans will find this sweet and charming enough, but personally I tend to like my romances less idealised.

Noiraude Mar 2, 2016

6.3

This show is the first one in the TV format in the Kono Danshi series, and it's really different from the other shorts of Soubi Yamamoto.  I love the graphic style, and the "self-published" way, with these lights - inspiration from Makoto Shinkai ? -, minimal animation and this kind of drawing. It's also a very good use of Live2D in an anime. However, I think the choice of the format is wrong. I would prefer a short of 30 min, for the continuity of the story. And, finally the naivety of the characters and of the story isn't in a "TV style". I feel this is a short which was just sliced in four parts for the TV diffusion, and it's a shame. It's another Kono Danshi, with all of the codes of the serie, and I like it. We have the classic couple, and the end doubt, as always. So much good feeling, and after watching this, I feel actually good. So it's not a bad show. But the TV was not a good choice.