I've been on a bit of a "supernatural" kick with my anime choices lately, and after coming out of the isekai kick I was on, I at least got used to there being mass amounts of fanservice. This even has the label of "ecchi", and certainly lives up to that label...but the last couple episodes showed that it could have been so much more if they didn't focus so much on the fanservice and instead gave more attention to the plot and characters.
Plot
(there is essentially no real plot until the final two episodes)
Basically, it's about a group of high school students who have special abilities, so they're called in often to fight against creatures called "Phantoms". Due to a virus leak by a company called Alayashiki, said virus changed how the human mind worked and people began seeing creatures, many borne from their imaginations, which were dubbed as "Phantoms". Though many are harmless, there are others which cause problems.
Characters
Haruhiko Ichjou - The protagonist who has a unique ability to seal a Phantom by sketching it (and develops an even more powerful ability later on). He is a bookworm, and knows a lot of rather interesting things from history to culture and more. He has a habit of going off on a tangent and talking excitedly about such things, much to the annoyance of others, but is a very helpful and kind person.
Mai Kawakami - The typical "hot headed but nice" female character (is there a -dere for that? Wouldn't be surprised if there was). She is a year older than Haruhiko and the others, yet her personality of being spunky and reckless makes her a good vanguard of the group due to her martial arts prowess and ability to access the five elements and channel them into her fists.
Reina Izumi - A girl who comes from a very strict (and rich) family, and had gone to an all-girl's school prior to high school. She is the epitome of a bottomless hole when it comes to eating, and her ability even reflects upon that (or maybe it's vice-versa; who knows) in that she can "seal" Phantoms by sucking them in and "eating" them. Just think "Kirby", only she can't take their powers. She is kind, and takes a strong liking to Mai.
Koito Minase - Another girl (noticing a pattern, yet?) and also on the same team with Haruhiko and the others, she had a closed-off personality and a huge sweet tooth. Her ability is powerful and involves using her voice to blast things or set them on fire. She's somewhat tsundere, but not to the point where it's an "in your face" sort as she warms up to the group faster than the typical tsundere character.
Ruru - A strange little Phantom who takes the appearance of a female genie and follows Haruhiko pretty much everywhere. Her origins are unknown (but explained at the end), and with her hyper and airheaded personality she contributes much to the chaos.
Overall
I want to quickly touch on the animation and sound. The intro song is...well, obnoxious. Not everyone will feel that way, but I was not a fan of that (though the ending song was okay). The BGM is fine.
As for animation...there are some really (as in, SUPER) annoying spots where the anime tries to do that "let's make it look like it's through a camera which is shaking like an earthquake on a ship in the ocean during a hurricane". This effect is getting more and more annoying, and no studio seems to know how to use it properly. I don't get motion-sick, but one of the scenes was so bad that I didn't want to watch it anymore.
Sometimes it's difficult to tell what's happening in combat (especially the final battle), but the anime definitely excels at its selling point: Boobs and butts.
As a comedy, it works well...but sometimes the humor (being slapstick in nature and often due to ecchi scenes) gets a little repetitive and dull at times. It does have a label of "ecchi" (and though it seems to be a harem anime, it doesn't really give that vibe although people seem to have varying decisions on their favorite ship), but my personal opinion is that this anime would have thrived so much better if it cranked up the plot and fleshed out the characters a little bit more and toned down the ecchi scenes.
Personally, and I've stated this before, I'm not interested in any sort of fanservice (whether it comes from male characters or female characters), and it does absolutely nothing for me. I watched this anime for the tags of "supernatural" and "comedy".
While it doesn't hold a candle to the more serious series (such as Charlotte), it did have the potential to do so. However, it just became yet another slice-of-life anime which had to resort to boobs and butts to get its viewers.
I feel there was a lot of squandered potential, and the last couple episodes prove it. Had that been the main focus instead of the middle of the anime being pretty much just fanservice (hotsprings antics, cat-girls, ect), then it could have been an amazing series.
I say the "middle" since the beginning is the standard beginning of any of these sort of anime where it shows the characters gain more companions and fight against their enemy (in this case, the Phantoms) so the viewers have an idea of the "small events". Typically, an anime would then start to build towards an overlying plot...but this one just continued to be fanservice until the last few episodes.
And there are definitely some moments which should be sad; I say "should be" because the level of comedy isn't balanced, and often overshadows the few dramatic moments (usually, said dramatic moments relate to the characters themselves).
Pretty much all of the characters are living on their own (with the exception of Reina, as well as a young girl who joins them named Kurumi), and if the middle had toned down on the ecchi stuff and put more focus into fleshing out the characters just a little more and hinting a little better at the "overall plot" (which turns out to be a two-episode "plot" at the end of the anime) then it would have been much more gripping.
Not that it's a bad anime, and if you're looking for a silly anime with ecchi moments all over the place, this is definitely your cup of tea. If you like light-hearted anime and can tolerate ecchi stuff, then it's not a bad watch if you're looking for something to pass the time. If you're looking for something substantial...this will disappoint you.
Again, it does have its moments of seriousness and drama, but those moments are overshadowed by the perverted moments.
Was it amusing? Yes.
Was it entertaining? Yes.
Would I watch it again? With the exception of episode 11 which is just freaking adorable, No.
Screenshots
Add to list