Rants, insights, avatar art, pixel art and various other things that interest me. I'll also post BJD reviews as well as Lolita clothing reviews, from time to time.
Kokoro Connect Review
Kokoro Connect, AKA the first anime I've ever reviewed. Why this anime? I don't know, a lot of the messages and characters resonated with me in various ways. I thought it balanced comedy and drama near perfectly, and though it may have had some flaws they were pretty minor. This series really left a lasting impression on me, and I thought I'd attempt a review while it's still fresh in my mind. This review's going to have spoilers, but I'll try to keep them to a minimum. This will be a shitty review, but it's my first, so bear with it. ^^'
This series has a total of 17 episodes, so that's 13 episodes plus an additional four.. Those four can be taken as a mini second season, or an extended OVA, but they should definitely be watched as well since without them the story may feel incomplete.
Kokoro Connect is about five friends and their struggles with a malevolent being called "Heartseed." Exactly what this being is or why it's experimenting on these five is never explained, which I felt added to the anxiety of the situation. Is it an alien curious about human reactions and emotions? Is it a vengeful spirit or demon? A criminal mastermind? Who knows, all we do know is that it finds these five "interesting" and wants to be "entertained" by them. It toys with them in strange ways, and seems intent on evoking whatever strong reactions it can. These five begin experiencing various phenomenons and their relationships with one another are put to the test. It's a very drama-heavy show.. There IS comedy, but I found it to be increasingly sparse and low-key. The only flaw I could think of is the fact that although so many dramatic things are happening, things tend to reach "good" conclusions rather predictably.. Traumatic things do happen, but they don't play out as badly as they could've, and some of the outcomes are a little unrealistically optimistic. That would normally be an unforgivable flaw for me, but the depth of the characters and the strong messages more than made up for it.
The characters all feel very human. They have secrets, flaws and ugly sides. They're all weak people in their own ways, and can be just as easily dislikable as they can be lovable. They can annoy you one moment, and have you near tears the next. I found myself relating to each one in different ways, and I really think ANYone will find at least one character to cheer for. As for the characters themselves, well there's.. Inaba Himeko - The cool beauty aka kuudere.. Though there's more to her than that.
She's actually very emotionally fragile and sensitive.. This girl has major trust issues, as well as attachment issues. She can be a bit scary at times, is very blunt and is not shy about taking things out on others.
Aoki Yoshifumi - The comic relief, dumb and goofy sort of guy.
He has problems moving on from the past and is too focused on just living for the moment.. He never really gives himself a chance to get closure over anything.
Kiriyama Yui - Somewhat of a tsundere, but also cheerful.
At least on the outside.. Inside however, she struggles daily with androphobia and anxiety, making even small things a huge effort for her.
Nagase Iori - The supposed cheer girl of the bunch, air-headed and happy-go-lucky.
Externally at least, internally she has been faking personalities around people since childhood. She's terrified of people finding out who she is, since she feels she has an undesirable and dark personality. She is manipulative and blunt at heart.
Yaegashi Taichi - The leader of the five, selfless to a fault and always helping others.
Again, only externally.. Internally he only helps others to feel better about himself, and so he doesn't have to deal with those around him seeming upset. He can be cocky.
This is an anime with some very deep questions in it. What makes a person unique? If you take away a person's appearance, are they still recognizable? What if you take away the personality you thought you knew? Do you still know that person? Can you say you consider someone a friend, without fully knowing everything about them? There are also answers in this anime, and some may find those answers hard hitting. This show says to be yourself, even if you hurt other people in the process. Be selfish before you break. Accept yourself. Forget your past and quit dwelling in it, yesterday was yesterday. This anime can be harsh.. But I think it's worth a watch for anyone, and I really think if you approach it with an open-mind and the right mindset.. It's a definite classic!
