
a review by FenrirBlack

a review by FenrirBlack
If you're an artist, writer, or "creator"; if you ever cried, felt lost, struggled, or tormented yourself over your work then you will understand this show better than others. Re:Creators is the dream of many writers to combine a cornucopia of genres, characters, and stories into one action pack extravaganza. A love letter to the anime medium as a whole. It has a message about the reality of art and the struggling artist it is very well crafted. As an anime it falls slightly short of greatness.
To best describe this show, I would best describe it as a saltine cracker. It is inoffensive, good-natured, and will satisfy your hunger. But that is all it will do. It lacks the flavor and hype of other anime. A pop tart it is not. It is a good anime but lacks the necessary components to become great.
If someone read a book on how to create an anime then this would be the product. It feels like someone followed a step by step recipe for creating a show using every piece of advice and tool written in the guide. Every story beat was met, the characters were engaging and strong with their own agency and personality. All the essential ingredients for a anime. On the surface, it would be the perfectly created anime. What it lacks is originality and more importantly a certain characteristic crucial in all great anime, risk.
Re:Creators takes no risks with its story telling. A simple example of this is the fact that it is not funny. It doesn't try to be funny. The jokes are few and far between and only show up near the end. Comedy while not essential for a anime of this type, helps a show entertain and adds depth as well as characteristic. I cried during moments of the show more than I laughed.
It does nothing to change the norms of the anime genres it is borrowing to tell its story as one would expect for a story like this. It takes a bunch of genres and tropes and combines them in a well crafted story but one that is lacking melding and blending. The tropes work in tandem with one another but never blend together to create something new.
Good aspects of the show
-The plot: as I stated, the idea of a crossover in this fashion is a dream of many writers so it is amazing to see it not only created but in a respectful way to the types of shows being referenced.
Creative- This is a more complicated one. While I did enjoy the ideas used for the characters and their powers, they lacked originality and made them feel standard. Yes considering that is the point of the show that is to be expected and I'm not complaining but I do wonder if more could be done to make them stand out more.
Creators: I loved the concept of the creations meeting and working alongside those who created them and how they all had complicated feelings towards each other that varied from character to character. I think it was handled as well as it could have been.
-Altair: The most unique thing about the entire show and one of the best variety of powers I've ever seen an antagonist have.
Getting to the finer points of the shows problems I'll list them quickly.
-Magane's power: I never understood how it worked or how it was activated. Her entire character felt like a bit of a waste to fill screen time while she rambled on nonsensically.
-The penultimate episode: I was in tears but it was way too long. There was no reason it should have taken as long as it did especially after such an intense series of fights just to get to that point. Also I don't believe they handled the "secret weapon" as well as they could have but that's a more minor issue.
-Character deaths: Being the end, someone had to die but I question whether or not some deaths were worth having since they didn't add much to the story considering they ended up using the "secret weapons" anyway. There is a rule in writing that when an important character dies it should do more than evoke emotion and I don't believe that was achieved here.
-Altair's Goal: this is more of a pet peeve. Destroying the world no matter for what reason is cliche as Hell and the fact that despite everything going on, that is essentially what Altair's end goal was made the show once again lack greatness.
Re:Creators is a good show. It is a well-written and structured show that did everything right. There is no denying that. But it couldn't bring itself to go the extra mile past STANDARD. Aside from the overall plot of different characters appearing from an assortment of popular media, it lacks anything memorable. There were several strong moments that made me smile, laugh, and cry but I find it hard to find myself reaching for another saltine when there are so many poptarts and other more favorable snacks within reach even if they aren't as satisfying.
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