Having watched only The Day I Became a God, which inspired me to watch other works of Jun Maeda, I got into Charlotte. And it has been a great experience altogether. So, I decided to write this review of the same.
I review anime solely based on my own experiences. I am a simple guy so my reviews and scores aren't that critical. I watch for the sake of enjoyment, and based on how I feel about a particular title, I review it and make my recommendation. I understand that you can have different opinions, and that's fine! This review is based on my own personal experience.
This review is entirely spoiler-free.
Introduction
Charlotte is an original anime series by the acclaimed writer, Jun Maeda, known for his works on other shows like Clannad, Angel Beats!, etc. The anime aired in Summer 2015, comprising of 13 episodes and an OVA. The show is a Sci-Fi comedy, combining the elements of Slice of Life and Tragedy alike.
Story
The story revolves around the lives of the student council members of a school designed specifically for young boys and girls with supernatural abilities. Our main characters, Yuu Otosaka and Nao Tomori are the premier members of this group. The story starts off with the delinquent activities of Yuu, who cheats his way out of exams because of his capability of possessing anyone's body for 5 seconds, and thus is able to get into a prestigious high school. But all of his merry activities come to an end, when he is caught by Nao, who persuades him to get into the above mentioned school, made for the special kids.
As the premise mentions, the story is very interesting from the beginning. Honestly, I was not bored a single episode in the entire show. High school comedy combined with Sci-Fi is always a delight to watch, at least for me. The show keeps getting better every episode, and its twists and turns are very well pulled off. The pacing of the show was good, till its mid episodes, although it got, in my opinion, a little rushed at the end. But, it wasn't bad; in fact, the ending was good. I was a little concerned about the finale, but fortunately, it wrapped up pretty well.
The episodes portraying tragedy were well done, making me feel very bad for the involved characters. Although, I must say, the tragic twists came rather unexpectedly, which shocked me many times in my watching. Well, the good thing I liked about this show, was that those things were resolved properly, gradually, which is important for a show dealing with such themes. This anime will make you cry and laugh too. This is an emotional ride which I loved very much, with good pacing so as to give you time to adjust your feelings.
The story is well done in its aspects of combining supernatural, comedy, and tragedy. Although I must say that the romantic part was not done properly, as it felt rushed. If the involved characters were given more time together to grow, the story would have been better in this part. For me though, it did not really matter much, as the ending was good enough for me, although this one too, felt a little rushed. In concise, the latter half of the show was a little fast paced for my liking. This, according to me, was one of the major weak points of the show.
In a nutshell, the story was great and thought-provoking. As is expected from a Jun Maeda work, the subtle themes of human connections were well expressed through its gorgeous visuals. The story was good for a Sci-Fi show, and I enjoyed it thoroughly, although I would have felt better about it if the last half was given more time to breathe.
Character Development
The characters in this show were interesting. Although in the first half, it would seem that they are simple, but their complexity was highlighted eventually. The main characters, Yuu Otosaka and Nao Tomori were developed properly, with the character of Yuu given very good development. Nao's character could have been developed more in my opinion, but it was alright given its short run time of 13 episodes only.
Our main character, Yuu Otosaka, is given a very good developing arc in the show. You get to see how he develops, from merely being a cheater using his powers, to someone who cares about others a lot. We were given a proper time where we got to see all the highs and the lows of his life, where we got to feel happy for his achievements, and also feel sympathy for him for his tragedies.
The two supporting characters of Joujirou Takajou and Yusa Kurobane were well done, especially with the bro moments we got to see with the former and our main male protagonist. The latter, was also good, when you get to know her ability which in my opinion was a great addition. The overall story with our main four student council members was enjoyable and a blast to watch.
The character of Yuu's younger sister, Ayumi Otosaka, was great to see. We got to see the highs and lows of this family, dealing with their problems and enjoying life as well. Her character was a particularly likeable one, and I am sure others would like her and her storyline too. Other supporting characters were also shown properly, with unnecessary backstories being omitted.
So overall, the characters were developed properly. Given its short runtime, the character development was done as it should have been. If it were longer, it could have been better, but I am not complaining. It was good.
Animation
The animation of this show was great. P.A. Works has done a great job once again, and the visuals of this show were simply awesome. Though seeing this show now, in 2021, when it was released back in 2015, does seem to show a little bit of its age, but it is definitely not bad. The animation was fantastic.
Music
The music in this anime was excellent. The opening and endings were great, and I have a personal bias for the ending, which makes me feel very nostalgic every time I listen to it. Anyways, some of the musical score in the show were done very well, and they did a good job in making me connect with the story and the characters in depth. The insert songs, as specials, were also nice.
Conclusion
In my opinion, the show was a blast to watch. I enjoyed each and every episode of the show, and it got me hooked right from the beginning. I love Charlotte. This show was brilliant.
If you are someone who loves Sci-Fi, Comedy and Slice of Life, and are looking for a great anime, I will definitely recommend you to watch Charlotte. This show does not shy away from making you laugh and cry, which is something I love about it. This show is an emotional rollercoaster for sure, but if you get in it, I am sure you will like it. Highly recommended, because this is one of the few shows that I really loved, from the start to the end.
Thank you for reading. I hope you have a good day, and like always, keep watching anime!
Written by: Sekhar08
February 8, 2021
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