deadpansnarker

It's not easy being the youngest in the family. You get hand-me-downs, bullied by your elder siblings, and worst of all, have to meet your parents' lofty expectations just because your brother so happens to be a Nobel prize-winning scientist and your sister studies at that world-class university.

Poor Charlotte. 

I know I just said it’s not fair to compare with some of its untouchable predecessors, but some of the similarities are so jarring that it’s almost impossible not to. Charlotte's premise is simple but sufficiently intriguing; a group of adolescents inherit superpowers that will eventually disappear when they reach adulthood. Now remember that part about hand-me-downs? Beyond this point is where Key reverts to its time-honed instincts.

A student council that sometimes feels more like a mental asylum? SSS 2.0.

A tsundere heroine with a wretched past? Yuri, but with white hair.

A comic relief sidekick character? Hinata or Clannad’s Sunohara, whichever you prefer.

Cute younger sister with bonus voice tic? You got it.

Add in the heavy emphasis on music for good measure, and if at this point you still don't hear it whispering (or is it screaming?) something about "angels", Charlotte throws in a not-so-subtle easter egg in episode 7 to help you along. I am sure that little teaser will fill some of the fanboys/girls with heady nostalgia, but unfortunately it only reminded me about how this anime is inferior in almost every way.

Charlotte is not based off one of Key's bishoujo games, but you would be forgiven for thinking otherwise. More experienced viewers will see flashbacks of Air, Kanon etc. as they sit through the long repetitive middle phase of find teenager who is using his powers to do bad things, battle and defeat said teenager, insert moment of sudden enlightenment and cut to the ED. I feel really apprehensive about using this analogy, but the only way I can describe it is conquering Nagisa, Kyou, Kotomi, Tomoyo and Fuuko in one episode each and throwing them away before the end credits roll. I don't even have enough space left in this paragraph to talk about the almost flippant glossing over of emotional moments - something that Key is supposed to be good at. As disappointing as it is, however, I guess it was somewhat natural and unsurprising for Key to choose to develop their series the same tired old way. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, right?

Well...wrong. More damning and equally repititive is Key's patented brand of slapstick humour, which while mostly innocuous and occasionally genuinely funny in previous titles, managed by episode 8 to make my weak stomach more violently sick than roller coasters (hate those) and airplane turbulence ever could. Either one of the toxic Takajou-Yusa combination is and has been a good enough reason for some to drop this series entirely. 

Considering everything I've said above, it really says something about my masochistic tendencies that I managed to see this series to its conclusion. But really, it was the anticipation of Key's trademark deus-ex-machina type ending that made all the pizza sauce jokes and magical spells (just barely) bearable.

I don't wish to spoil this series any further than I already have for any (if any) prospective viewers that are left at this point, but I really must mention, that after all the disappointment and anger, the emotion that I was finally rewarded with was... utter confusion. Maybe it was the out-of-nowhere change of pace - the finale episode that has enough material to make an entire series on its own; or maybe it was because they inevitably forced a token YuxNao pairing that works about as well as a romance between you and your sister, and then didn't even make them kiss. (Like WTF right?!) At least the filler episodes feel like a distant memory now, but then again its already been a month since then.

Characters: I’ve already talked about Takajou, and Yusa is only there because they needed a token loli character. It's natural for Tomori to be numb after all the trauma she's experienced, but her emotionlessness has more than once come across as nonchalance. The benignly evil main character was the one thing in this entire anime that Key has never done before, but even that was over by episode 2, then back and gone again in episode 8, then rehashed in episode...you get the idea. Key seems to have confused a complicated personality with an inconsistent personality; some of the character reactions are so unbelieveable that I can't elaborate anymore without using expletives. When the characters cried, sometimes I felt like laughing.

But do/should we even care about whether the characters are realistic? I’m not a psychologist, but I don’t think people watch anime just to meet the same kind of characters they could easily find in the 3D world. Obviously we find Key’s happier and more naïve portrayal of human nature more appealing, otherwise good anime such as My Teenage Romantic Comedy SNAFU and Welcome to the NHK! would be much more successful. Otherwise I wouldn't feel like I've lost something again. 

The music is good and sometimes manages to be great. Apart from some occasional dissonance, the sound does its part in enhancing the mood of the current scene. We are not going to get any timeless classics like Ichiban no Takaramono or the legendary theme of SSS and no, I haven't heard of post-rock either, but Lia’s Bravely You is better than My Soul, Your Beats. You can quote me on that. Oh, and just stick to singing in Japanese. Please.

So if you’re a Key fan who wants to watch a Key anime, then rejoice – you have found what are looking for. If you belong to the remainder like me, there’s really nothing to lose (except occasionally your sanity) by picking this up – Charlotte will pleasantly kill a few hours of your time while we’re all waiting for Angel Beats 2 to come out.

Wait, they just announced a Rewrite anime? Well, I guess I can always play Half Life 3 until then.