Monday, March 25, 2013

Oreshura Review: Episode 1: The Start of My High School Life is a Battleground

From Danny Choo on Flickr
Ah, Oreshura. This show is the perfect victim for most unassuming viewers, including me. When I first saw the description for this show, the first thought that ran through my mind was, "Oh great, another harem show." There definitely is no shortage of those, that's for sure.

However, there is something about this show that is just, well, better than most.

Here's the rundown. After a misleading intro, we meet our main character, Kidou Eita, or Burning Fighting Fighter, as he sometimes refers to himself. But not before a theme song that somehow manages to be insanely catchy and always brings a smile to my face. And I suppose that's the first thing to say about this show. It always brings a smile to my face, which is essential for a romantic comedy series. It has to be funny, which it consistently is, with jokes that aren't just overblown cliche scenes.

But back to the main plot. Kidou Eita is a high school student whose only goal is to get into medical school by spending his time with studying instead of wasting it with girls, such as his neighbor, Harusaki Chiwa, who he sees in a sisterly sort of way (As for her perspective of him, you can guess from the fact that this is a harem show).

Enter Natsukawa Masuzu, the school beauty who just so happens to have the same idea of love as Eita does . She's tired of getting confessions all the time, so what's her solution? To find a fake boyfriend of course! And it just so happens that Eita is the perfect target, with his anti love ways and the fact that Masuzu has everything she needs to blackmail him with.

And with that, we have the premise of our show!

All right, I know the premise doesn't sound like much more than some generic harem fodder, and that's essentially what it is. It doesn't really try to do anything particularly innovative with the genre, but what it does set out to do is to entertain, and it does it well, especially whenever Masuzu takes advantage of her ownership of Eita's private notebook, which has some hilarious material within.

The look of the show is warm, with bright colors everywhere that are just pleasing to the eye. Honestly, I just love looking at the show, with smooth character designs and an overall relaxing feel to the whole show. Also, the choppy character designs that pop up whenever Masuzu reads out of Eita's notebook are perfect in contrast to the normally fluid animation that this show possesses, reflecting the "roughness" of Burning Fighting Fighter.

The characters are likable for the most part, the animation is smooth and pleasant, and the comedy is there. Beyond that, this show is easy to get into and watch. There isn't a huge amount of thinking involved when watching this show, and I appreciated that I could just put it on and enjoy the show without having to examine every little detail. This show is aimed strictly to entertain, and it succeeds in doing so.

I really think that anyone could enjoy this show, as long as they come in with tempered expectations. This show isn't going to do anything new or innovative, but what it will do is bring a smile to your face, and I think there's something admirable about a show that knows exactly what it's going to do and does it well.

Episode Rating: 8.0/10.0 (Good)

This episode does what it's meant to, which is introduce the main characters and let us get a feel for them, and it does it in an enjoyable way, if not particularly unique. 

2 comments:

  1. It all sounds well and good. Had I any loose time on m' hands I'd have probably given the show a try.
    While I generally like the genre, I find m'self growing increasingly impatient with the unassuming unambitious shows. I would probably prefer a show that has potential for a good plotline. Something like Rosario + Vampire (manga) for instance. And with recurring characters like the 'Childhood Friend', I fine my former favourite anime genre becoming monotonious and predictable.

    That aside, the lead character sounds interesting: a teenager who actually refuses to fawn over the oppsite sex? Wow! I know he says it's to study, but I think he probably was once a victim of Yandere-splosion. I know that put me of girls (attacks to the groin, don't ask).
    The lead female is the Masuzu chic, I'm guessing. Sadly, I've seen my fair share of 'blackmailing into a relationship' shows.

    Well anyway, thanks for the review; I'll probably chalk Oreshura to my list of 'animes to watch should I ever get the time'.

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    Replies
    1. First of all, thanks for being the first comment on this blog! I really appreciate it!

      Second, I understand how you're feeling, given how stagnant the harem genre has gotten in recent years. However, just because Oreshura's set up is predictable, doesn't mean that it isn't worth your time. I really did enjoy it in a way that I would compare to Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai, another anime that is seemingly just another harem show.

      There is something to be said about a well executed show, as it usually covers up the lapses in creativity that we sometimes experience. Oreshura is one of those shows, with good animation, its share of hilarious and surprisingly touching moments (which come in the second half of the show), and some memorable characters, which is more than most harems shows have.
      All in all, I think that if you give Oreshura a chance, you'll be pleasantly surprised.
      Thanks for reading!

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