Otaking 16

Fall 2012

Streamed on: Crunchyroll

Episodes - 13 + 4 OVA


Genre - Romance, Comedy, Mystery



20 Minute Read

What type of genres within Anime do I get a kick out of the most? Back when I went berserk in Spring 2013 I was watching whatever fancied my taste and came across many different types of shows from weird to amazing. Some I didn't enjoy as much as others but it seemed like the slice of life genre gravitated towards me because it was simple and I am a simple man with simple pleasures. Also, is adding Romance to the genre really even necessary anymore? Practically every show that I have seen or about to, whatever the case may be, always has some sort of attractive involvement between two or more characters. Oh well, Attack On Titan and Kill La Kill are both amazing shows that lack the formula.



With that said, I'm pretty sure this show confirmed my appetite for this slice of life variety. Kokoro Connect is, essentially, a soap opera of five teenagers that has to deal with mysterious body altering events that turns their life around, for the better and sometimes, for worse. They met through a club called StuCS which they formed themselves after failed attempts at other circles. What I appreciate about this series is that it focuses only on a select few characters. I think I may have mentioned this before but I like character progression, a lot. Apart from the five main characters, at most there are only four or more sub-characters thrown in the mix. Also, the story is awesome! There is so much twists and turns that you'll be on edge on a select few episodes!



There is so much to analyze within the shows most prominent feature in terms of it's body switching mechanics. Sure, at first you think of the five teenagers as your fairly generic cast but that's what makes this show awesome. The soul switching of these adolescents finds a way to break through the stereotypical characters and show a different side of them. These body switchings will come through in many hilarious instances as well as interesting consequences of what will happen when the body of oneself is in the wrong hands. Aside from the body switching, some characters, such as Iori and Inabaare great characters in the show in the fact that they do unexpected things apart from their conventional image.



This is a weird type of description I have for this show concerning its handling of humor; it's efficient. Every show I have watched has some type of comedic relief thrown in every now and then but KC gets straight to the point, without a lot of excess and gives it to you as is. It's extremely amusing. Now, to help this amusement is great expressions and gestures and it comes through animations vividly. They are, at times subtle but the subtlety pushes the humor and asserts these characters reactions. As a side note, I personally like when these characters smile, the bean shaped smile looks adorable for some reason.



Also I have said that the characters are quite mainstream to their own merit but unfortunately Taichi is as generic as it gets. Though, his character stereotype is challenged throughout the story (selfless freak) so that's a plus but he's been seen a great deal in a lot of Anime shows these days.If there was anything I didn't like from the show It probably came from the handling of the events and changes that came upon them. At times It would seem to me that since this antagonist, who calls itself Heartseed can do whatever it wants, whenever it wants, it makes everything unpredictable. So basically, you're telling me that anything can happen at any moment? It seems somewhat scape goatish in a sense, and I felt this in some episodes where the story would go in a new and different direction. One example is when the characters became younger. I'm not saying that most of the things in the show can happen in reality but changing their age is not quite consistent to the conflicts that had been represented so far. Also the fact that Heartseed can say when it will end is quite passive for an antagonist.



Don't worry, this pic ain't a spoiler!

The Latter End - (Something that I might start from now on because closure is really a big part of a series for me and for some reason, summarizes my score for the show so it is pivotal!)

There is so much to discuss between the last half of the series. It takes some stumbles along the way but I will say it ends on a satisfying note where the pacing picks up again to wrap it up quite nicely. There are 4 OVA's released after the regular season had ended so you WILL need to watch it to conclude questions that had been left unanswered. I won't spill any beans or spoil anything but what a way to end this show and I am glad I checked this out on a whim because it ended up being one my favorites.



8.7
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