Anime in Four Words

After joining Terminal Service One, Tsukasa is partnered with Isla, a Giftia who is a veteran at her job, though has not been in the field for some time. The series revolves around Tsukasa and the emotionally distant Isla, as they go through the emotional journey of retrieving Giftias, who’s human partners aren’t always willing to give them up.

The show is, first and foremost, a romance anime, and whilst it uses it’s sci-fi settings strongly, we never particularly take too much of a deep look into how or why the Giftias are made, which I appreciated. This information wasn’t really necessary for the story the series is trying to tell, which is geared more towards making the best of the time you have left, no matter how short it may be.

The show is more than just heartbreak and tears, as there's a very effective comedy element to the show as well. Isla, despite seemingly being a pro at her job, is also very clumsy and awkward, allowing her to become more empathetic despite her sometimes distant personality. Whilst there can be some emotional whiplash as we go between comedic and dramatic scenes, I feel it important to say that one never undercuts the other, and that dramatic scenes are always allowed to play out until their resolution without awkwardly being interrupted by something comical.

The animation and artwork in the show is stunning at times. All of the locations and backgrounds feel fresh and distinct, and the characters are well drawn with great care being placed on the emotive aspects of the characters faces. The music is also wonderful, with a charming OP and ED, along with un-intrusive background tracks that only make the scenes more powerful.

The rest of the cast feels diverse, although some characters often fall too heavily into standard anime tropes. After all is done, the series leaves you satisfied, without a longing for more, in the best way. There’s no feeling that more could have been done with the story, or that something is missing. The series tells the story it wanted to, and it was a good story, if not a little bit heartbreaking.

If you enjoyed shows such as Clannad, Angel Beats or Little Busters, then I highly recommend Plastic Memories. Yes, I’m aware all those shows are Key adaptations, but I feel that you may need to survive those before being fully prepared to take on Plastic Memories.

For me, Plastic Memories was really something special, and it reminded me that I can still feel that void, even after more than 15 years of watching anime.

Saekano, or ‘How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend’ follows high school student and otaku Tomoya Aki, who, on his way to school, has a fateful encounter with the all-around average Kato Megumi, giving him the inspiration to make his own Dating-Sim game. Enlisting the help of his childhood friend ‘Eriri Spencer Sawamura’ for the art, and his senpai ‘Utaha Kasumigaoka’ for the writing, the show revolves about the beginnings and creation of a dating sim, whilst also diving into the otaku world of Light Novels, Doujinshi and Anime Music,

Even getting past Episode 0, the first few episodes just didn’t interest me. I realise that “The manga did it better” is such a cliche that I would feel right at home in Saekano, but I really do feel that there were parts of the series the manga did better. One that sticks in my mind was the introductions, and otaku-revelations, of Eriri and Utaha.

In the manga, we’re introduced to Eriri and Utaha almost immediately, and whilst Eriri is hinted at having an interest in anime and video games, we aren’t told anything else except that she’s a good artist, and Utaha is a good writer. In later chapters, it’s revealed that Eriri is secretly a full blown otaku who draws 18+ Doujinshi, and Utaha is a famous light novel writer. This is done by Tomoya tricking Eriri with an anime DVD, and surprising Utaha at one of her book signings. The anime reveals this to us through an exposition dump in the first episode. No build-up, no twists, no payoff. This is the first time we’re meeting these characters in the anime, and we learn their secrets almost immediately, whilst in the manga we get to learn about the characters first, and the impact is much more effective, as we learn this information at the same time as Kato.

Whilst there’s more I prefer about the manga over the anime, such as the manga starts in media res, this is meant to be a look at the anime series, so I’ll focus more on that. Whilst there is a few rocky episodes to begin with, the show does start getting better around Episode 3. From that point onwards, you begin to feel real forward momentum, both with character interactions as well as the development of the dating sim.

Now, there’s one character I’ve not spoken much about, and that’s our female lead (and best girl) Kato Megumi. I love this character. Her easy-going nature makes her a pleasure to watch, and she’s cute without being too over-designed, which is the point of her character. Kato is someone who can always be there, but you just never notice them. In fact, Tomoyo was in her class for a full year but never once took notice of her until fate brought them together. Kato is an amazingly written character, never being loud or obnoxious, but not really being a push-over too, having some of the best lines in the show as she calls out the other girls when appropriate.

The art is pretty by the books for the most part, though can occasionally turn into something quite beautiful, and most scenes tend to have a pretty nice polish, as expected from A1 Pictures. Most of the music doesn’t make much if an impact, aside from one insert song in episode 10. The OP is okay, whilst the ED is actually pretty forgettable.

All in all, I enjoyed the series. If you leave Episode 0 to the end, or miss it entirely, and can get past the first few episodes, then you’re left with a quite funny, enjoyable, and at times, dramatic anime series. Whilst it’s not groundbreaking in any way, it’s still a lot of fun. There is a second season, called Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend ♭ (or .flat). Whilst I haven't watched this yet, it has certainly been added to my list. A film has also been announced.