Anime: A Channel The Animation

Let me start off by laying down the groundwork for how I review things, and how i will be rating stuff:

• 
  
• I tend to like a variety of shows and I have watched quite a few anime by now, good, bad, so bad its good/fun/enjoyable, and so on.
  



• The way I rate things with the number scale goes like this:
  1 is the LOWEST possible, it takes absolutely atrocious quality and talent to land this score as I try to be very fair with my scoring
  5 is AVERAGE, middle of the road in quality, it is not bad; a 5/10 means that they put something out there, it wasn't offensive to my senses or intelligence.
  10 is PERFECTION - not just enjoyment, praise, and above average quality, but it is something that is done to a such a high quality that it is nearly perfect.
  [/ul]
  
  Now into the crux of the matter here, I will admit that I am not one to go for slice of life, I have never been interested in shows like Lucky Star, K-ON, and the like. However, I thoroughly enjoyed Mitsudomoe, and all the Strawberry Marshmallow stuff. So when I read a summary of this series, I thought I'd give it a shot and maybe it would be fun, if only a little fun. :brickwall: Oh how wrong I was!
  
  Art & Animation: 6
  The art and animation is boring. I would say that it is above average, but only in that anime being in HD these days is nice and there are some shots/scenes where the art does shine, but I'd be really giving too much credit. For the recent quality of anime, style, backgrounds and everything, it is slightly above average.
  
  Opening and Ending themes seem to have sucked up all the time, budget, and talent it seems. In terms of the visuals, the animation, and quality are WELL ABOVE the rest of the show, giving the viewer boat loads of information about each character and the story through visuals alone which is something that many shows, movies, anime, and other visual mediums strive for, but often fail to do properly. Again, it is a shame this wasn't an accurate prediction of the show's quality.
  
  Sound: 5
  Completely and absolutely forgettable. It didn't make my ears bleed but they never did anything that really wowed me either. As a huge fan of music, even just the simple background tracks of some shows, there was absolutely no pull to look for this and I bet i could hear songs from this show and never even recognize that they're from A Channel.
  
  As for opening and ending themes, as they've become a huge production for anime, so of course they're going to do that well, right? Well... kinda. Opening theme is very upbeat and energetic, it gets you ready to watch the show and if this were a lead in to some other show, I'd be very hyped up to watch whatever it is I'm about to watch! But with this... the song ABSOLUTELY doesn't fit the tone of the show, it fits the opening visuals -- which is fine, match visuals and sound, that's how that song and dance works. But in terms of pacing and the way the show feels when you're watching, this is like getting you super excited, and then its nap time... The Ending theme is a very good fit for the tone and again with visuals matching, it feels like this was the more true to the story theme, but better in that this didn't HURT, which I'll get to in story.
  
  Story: 3
  The summary/description of this show is 100% fool's gold. Ok, so shorty has a crush on dumb-as-a-rock blonde. The first episode actually makes the series look like its going to go somewhere, even though it is a slice of life. However, this is where the show completely let me down, and just pissed me off! LITERALLY NOTHING FUCKING HAPPENS! I really dislike when people say that slice of life or other similar descriptions are said to have "nothing" going on, this is a bit of a gloss over of what truly goes on. I think of these titles as the way a 90s sitcom works: its not that NOTHING happens, its that the show is about little things or simple things in life in whatever aspects are being focused on. This doesn't have to make a show boring, some of the most entertaining things about these types of shows is that you can very easily relate to and understand the characters and what they're going through.
  But then this show has to go and seem like a few company heads got in a room and said "Hey, you know those slice of life shows are so popular with these demographics and make pretty good money! And we don't need a plot, we can bullshit the plot of each episode, have some near-cookie cutter characters and not even throw much money at it and it will be a hit!" and this is absolutely WRONG!
  
  This show starts the first episode with some interest, and fizzles out quickly, that whole overarching plot-point about the one girl liking the other? That's just played to be motivation for some weak comedy bits -_- So little goes on, the plots are annoying, and the whole series feels like a colossal waste of time! In the hands of more capable writers, this show really could've been done well, even adding more of the relationship and some romance between the shrimp and the idiot without making it change the tone of the series too much. Unfortunately, the design was to go for slice of life and the romance is just fuel for some character actions and time wasting.
  
  Character: 4
  Now this will seem oddly low, given that the character's personalities ARE actually done well for being so simple. But, this is where I take huge issues with the show. Each of the girls can be summed up very simply, the only depth that is ever added to each of them, only serves to be the focus of an episode, and the way this is done accomplishes little more than to be upsetting, depressing, annoying, frustrating, or just plain stupid.
  
  Without going into too much detail about who the characters are, and every detail I should include in a summary of them; since that's the show's job, not mine. I will say this: the ways in which they are something you can relate to, only ever made me feel just so disgusted or upset with the way the world is sometimes.
  
  None of the main cast is ever happy or content with themselves or who they are, and for whatever reason, rather than being flawed but accepting their flaws, there is this habit of violent rejection and self-loathing for whatever they believe is wrong with them. More than anything, this just makes it so clear and upfront about how society's portrayal of women over many cultures and for such long periods of time have come to really screw with girl's heads in such a terrible way! This is where i will have to describe what I'm talking about:
  The one constantly praised for her beauty is always self-conscious, worried about making good impressions, keeping harmony, and maintaining her beauty less out of vanity and more because she is under such scrutiny.
  
  The shrimpy girl with a crush on the idiot is always unhappy with her body because she cannot be as beautiful as the pretty one or "measure up" in more ways than one; she feels like her love interest is in constant jeopardy and must vigilantly protect her at all costs, which admittedly is true in some events.
  
  The chick with glasses is the most well-rounded of the group, and she's got problems too... Of course! I wish the show was more about her honestly as she was the most interesting character in that group!
  
  The idiot love interest girl is also interesting at times because she does seem to understand that the shrimp likes her, but only sometimes, which is infuriating! She is clumsy too, I'm sure that's no surprise! I don't have much I can say about her other than saying that she is this show's McGuffin to get things moving whenever there is an excruciatingly boring part.
  
  Value: 3
  As I've already said, this genre typically isn't my favorite and I'm sure that someone... somewhere, MIGHT like this, but I also find that this isn't a series you could watch again. Once its done, its done! The jokes are never funny enough to make it worth coming back to see again. Not enough happens to make anything memorable or have so much that you would forget a part that revisiting would bring new enjoyment either.
  
  Enjoyment: 2

If thinking about how a show could've been better and considering the concepts of the show is fun for you, this might not be that bad. Watching this for enjoyment's sake however, not so much. If its not obvious by now I'll say it straight out: THIS SHOW IS PAINFUL TO WATCH! I was more annoyed and frustrated with this than anything else and I really don't see anyone having this be something they 'must see.'

A Channel is simply a channel featuring the daily lives of four fairly-ordinary girls. This is a fairly ordinary slice-of-life story (strongly contrasting with Nichijou, which is still ongoing as of this review). In terms of animation, this can be likened to a mix of K-on and Lucky Star. In terms of plot and characters, probably more likened to Minami Ke. All in all, it's a fairly average show, though I don't know why it is tagged as seinen, if anything, there are yuri undertones.

This is a straight slice of life series. There is no significant focus on romance, action, mystery, etc. In fact, if you're looking for something with just a continuous plot you should look elsewhere. If you're looking to kill time watching moe/yuri girls interact then this is your series. Take this review with a grain of salt as I wasn't a huge fan of either Lucky Star, Hyakko, or K-on.

Animation:
Animation is a bit of a mixed bag here. The primary characters' styling is cute if a bit thin. Backgrounds are a mix between really nice drawings and cartoony scenery either consisting of simple solid colors or even occasionally crayon-styled sketches. While these scenes serve a purpose (when you're in a character's thoughts), I still don't like the extensive use. As this is a pure slice of life, there isn't too much action, there is no blood/gore, and there is no ecchi (come on the cast is practically all-girl). There is a lot of girls talking; yes, a lot of mouths move, occasionally the bodies will as well.

Sound:
The OP is light, which fits with the series well; though I personally like more energetic or peaceful pieces. The ED is even more fluffy than the OP, the track almost remind me of Raison d'etre from Chobits; though being a Rie Tanaka fan I have to say the latter is much better. The BGM is likewise very light and very mixed with guitars, harmonicas, and pianos. A unique feature of this series is the use of group insert songs, which remind me of television programming for toddlers. I really loathed these.

The entire purpose of this show is having the girls talk to each other and the VAs do a great job fitting a voice to the character personalities. Run sounds as ditzy as she acts and Minako Kotobuki does a great job giving Yuuko an accent (see if you can notice it).

Story:
The story consists of girls doing stuff such as interacting at school, interacting at a local diner, interacting while shopping, and interacting in general. The series are purely episodic, the only thing to give a continuity to the ordering is the passing of the seasons. There really isn't much of an underlying plot as the focus is purely on the characters. There might have been one or two comedic moments but I'm senses are still probably recovering from the overload that is Nichijou.

Character:
Each of the four girls has a unique, and very distinguishing personality. The majority of the enjoyment in this series will derive from how these personalities interact. What is a bit confusing is the somewhat yuri behavior Touru displays towards the clueless Run. While it is true that you get a lot of character interaction, you don't really get any development. The characters start as friends, occasionally get into minor quarrels, and then end up as, well, friends.

Value:
While I could try to embellish a description by saying this series shows the greatness of friendship, it doesn't even do quite that.

Minami-ke, Hyakko, Lucky Star, and K-On all distinguish themselves in very clear ways (see those reviews for details). However, I can't find what distinguishes this series other than its impeccable ability to not have any tension. It's simply a show about hanging out and having a good time. Think about it, you could be out doing similar things with your friends. You would possibly derive more fun by doing such activities than by watching this.

A Channel

You ask for what reason I stay on the green mountain,
I smile, but do not answer, my heart is at leisure.
Peach blossom is carried far off by flowing water,
Apart, I have heaven and earth in the human world
– Li Po, Question and Answer on the Mountain (translated by Mark Alexander)

Abstract: A slice-of-life story involving four moeblob girls and their day-to-day interactions. While lacking in romance, this is still a refreshing simple story that entertains. A Channel doesn't do too much or tries too hard to be what it is not, and it succeeds at making a solid way to kill time for a half-hour. Weaknesses in the characters and animation prevent this from becoming more than simply good, but I found it to be a charming little tale. Final Grade: B

Genre: Moeblob
Content: Light Ecchi

Reasons to Watch: A cute, simple story; Great backgrounds; A boatload of good music
Reasons not to Watch: Moeblob art failings; Lack of romance; Forgettable story

Plot: 8
A Channel is a slice-of-life comedy starring four superdeformed girls – stop me if you've heard this before. But unlike Lucky Star, A Channel doesn't try too hard to be groundbreaking or different. It sets a goal of being an enjoyable timewaster and succeeds magnificently. It's a lighthearted character driven comedy with no mission statement or message to declare. It's as mellow as Kenny G and as smooth as Michael Jordan's head. Despite being serialized in a yuri magazine, if you are watching this for yuri action, you will be severely disappointed. There is very little romance here, apart from the obvious lesbian crush Tooru has on Run. In fact, the yuri subtext is extremely weak at the beginning (although episode 11 has a nice, if soft, yuri story), as I would say there is a greater romantic tension between Kagami and Konata of Lucky Star then there is between the girls of A Channel. But the yuri subtext is just that, and the main meat of the show is the slice-of-life comedy, and the comedy is simple but effective. A Channel avoids the common pitfalls by not trying to do too much or being too clever. A Channel is not very original or creative, but it knows what it does well, and sticks to it. The main characters are cute enough to entertain, and deep enough to keep the viewer interested, although not deep enough to drive any real drama. However, when the supporting characters interact with the main characters, the story slows down and starts to grind. The side characters are much more one-dimensional, and whenever they enter the story, it breaks down the chemistry between the girls. Fortunately, they don't take up too much screentime, and the girls quickly get back to the everyday adventures of life. A Channel is like a middle inning relief pitcher – no excitement or flashy actions, it just does it's job and keeps us entertained while we wait for more filling stuff. Grade: B+

Art: 7
A Channel does all the little stuff right, but all too often the animators get a little lazy on the big stuff. The backgrounds are crisp and beautiful, and are full of details. The OP is full of fast-paced animation, but the animation remains in control, and so the effect is more energetic than frantic. The cellphone background bit was sublimely brilliant, and the highlight of the intro. But it is the foreground animation that has problems. The characters are done in superdeformed style, reminiscent of Lucky Star, but all too often the animators use this as an excuse to take shortcuts. There are times when the animation is quite good – but it isn't consistent. Particularly irritating is the animation of Yuuko, who's boobs seem to disappear and reappear at random. Also wretched is the stylings of the characters' arms and hands. The arms tend to get way too skinny, and the hands are often oversimplified. Again, this would be more acceptable if it was consistent, but close up shots often have the right proportions, only to degenerate when farther from the camera. I also have aesthetic complains about the character designs. The overly large heads of the superdeformed style are not particularly cute, and the faces themselves have an older style to them, where far cheek concaves before expanding to the gigantic forehead, which I don't favor. And I have no idea they managed to make the bodies of the characters sexy in their swimsuits while still being superdeformed, but I applaud them for that. The backgrounds, though, are fantastic. The attention to detail is superb, especially in scenes like when Tooru picks out her cat a collar. And even the basic elements are great—at 12:54 in episode 10, there is a great shot of a wintery sky framed by electric poles, a shot you probably seen a million times but never done this well. Sadly, the quality of the background art only intensifies the weaknesses in the character animation. Grade: B

Sound: 10
Some shows have insert songs. A Channel has an different insert song every episode. And these songs are all cute, soft pop ditties that mesh nicely into the events of the episode. Again, we see A Channel paying a lot of attention to detail. But unlike the animation, the voice acting in A Channel is also great. And this is quite surprising when taking a look at the cast. The actresses are all young and rather inexperienced, yet they get some great chemistry going together. Most impressive, given her history, is Uchiyama Yumi, the actress for Nagi. This is Ms. Uchiyama's first lead role in an anime, and she gives a great performance. At times, she is the best of the four, although often it's Yuuki Aoi's Tooru that steals the spotlight. (Ms. Yuuki was born in 1992. I feel old.) Ms. Yuuki has some experience in lead roles before, but she takes Tooru to another level. Fukuhara Kaori, who was horrible in Sacred Blacksmith, redeems herself as the airhead Run. And the undoubtedly worst performer, Kotobuki Minako as Yuuko, still manages to get some noticeably good scenes in there. Ms. Kotobuki was great as Mugi-chan in K-On, but she doesn't mesh well with the character of Yuuko. The OP song, Morning Arch is a wonderful piece of pop that gives the show a nice little kick start, and the ED, while more subdued, is probably a better match for the show's emotions. Overall, it is the music that this show does best. Grade: A

Characters: 6
The main characters, oddly enough, weren't the simple stereotypes so common in moeblob shows. There is normally the ditz, the tsundere, the comic foil, the sex symbol etc, etc, but in A Channel, the main characters are a bit more complicated than that. Run, while a ditz, doesn't try to be stupid as much as other characters, and has some real touching moments. And the others don't fall into any real category. They are more realistic and human characters than the one-notes that so often line slice-of-life shows, but are not too realistic to break the show's wistful idealism. On the other hand, the side characters are all simple one-dimensional characters. Unlike in Lucky Star, where the side characters are integral and interesting on their own, in A Channel the side characters are detriments, that hurt the show the longer they appear on screen. The good news is they don't appear often, but they appear enough to lower the score. There is only one romantic connection in this show, and it is the somewhat one sided girl crush Tooru has on Run. In the beginning of the series, it only really manifests as Tooru chasing flirtatious boys away from Run with a baseball bat, but the last two episodes really turn up the sensitivity. But it is too little too late, and I would not call this a yuri show. While A Channel makes some steps in the right direction with its characters, the show really doesn't have it all together. Grade: B-

Value: 5
Watchability: The biggest problem with slice-of-life shows is trying to keep the viewer entertained for the whole episode, when nothing really happens. For the most part, A Channel succeeds. Only when the side characters take center stage does the story lag, but for the most part, this is a good easy viewing show. Grade: B+
Re-watchability: A Channel is very much disposable entertainment. It is not entirely without rewatch value, but it doesn't really give a reason to stick around. It's a nice, cute story, but there is no really outstanding scenes to return to. Lucky Star had Lucky Channel, K-On had the music, but A Channel? Grade: C
Historical Value: Here, A Channel's successes are it's failures. By providing a simple story, A Channel creates a more relaxing viewing environment, but it does not inflame the passions like other moeblob hits like K-On or Lucky Star. In the end, A Channel is forgettable. Grade: D+

Enjoyment: 10
I have seen a theory that says the reason why these moeblob slice-of-life shows exist is to be a shot of horse tranquilizer, that modern Japanese life is so stressful people need a super sedative just to wind down. It is a possible theory, but I wouldn't know. But I do know that I generally despise shows like A Channel. But this time, I loved it. The world of A Channel was a paradise, a world where everything was right and things were the way they were suppose to be. An utopia of friendship and youth where none of the struggles of the real world intrude. Hyperbole? Perhaps. But in these kind of shows are entirely subjective. Either the characters speak to you or they don't. And A Channel spoke to me. Grade: A

Errata:
The best gag of the show was Run's jokes about Yuuko having a tapeworm as a pet. I normally dislike moeblob and slice-of-life, and by the law of reversals, people who normally like moeblob and slice-of-life will probably dislike this. Opening quotation is from China's greatest poet, Li Po (also known as Li Bai). I chose it because I wanted to work his poetry in somewhere, and this time seemed as good as any. Plus it describes better than I could my emotions about this show. I watched A Channel with subs by Doki. All reviews are done independent of the original format or other adaptions.

Final Grade: B