I had high expectations of this anime: a cute schoolgirl who, when she transforms into a magical girl, turns into a very muscular guy. I figured it would defy gender norms and make some sort of a statement, or at least be funny. Instead, I got a rather sexist anime with a sloppy story structure. Although there were occasional jokes (that weren't funny) this anime nevertheless took itself too serious, which made it even more cringy.
I must admit that I have only seen the first five episodes of this series, so I am sorry if this review gives an incomplete picture.
The story begins rather chaotically, but my girlfriend and I gave it the benefit of the doubt and continued watching: after the 5th episode we realised it was a useless venture: it didn't get any better. If anything, it got worse. To the point where I just couldn't follow the story anymore.
The characters also didn't speak to me at all. Saki Uno pretty much had a standard magical girl-personality without any interesting characteristics. At first her best friend, Sakuyo Mikage, seemed to be rather interesting. The way she boldly told Saki that she was attracted to her was an interesting turn of events. However, Sakuyo turned out to be the stereotype of a sexually agressive lesbian, which was dissapointing. Her brother, Mohiro Mikage, who is Saki's love interest was one of the most boring characters I have ever seen in a series.
This series also gives some sexist messages: in the first episode it is said that the magical girls have a men's body because 'men's bodies are more suitable for fighting'. I don't want to be one of those overly femist guys, but in my opinion, that is pretty sexist. Another thing that bothered me (that is not sexist per se) was how they kept focussing on age. Saki's mother used to be a magical girl as well, but had to retire because she became 'too old'. In the series, it is implied that once you are over 20, you are old and useless. I know that this series sjhouldn't be taken too seriously because it is a parody, but somehow, it doesn't pull that off well and just seems offensive.
There were some decent things about this anime that prevented me from rating it 1. The animation was alright but not visually creative. I think Kokoro-chan, the stereotype yakuza guy who was the 'kawai' mascot, was an amusing concept.
So to sum it up: the story and characters were dull, there were some disturbing messages about gender and age in this anime and overall the anime just couldn't entice me. The animation was decent and there were some amusing gigs in it. Even though I have seen only the first 5 episodes, I suspect it takes a real magical girl to save this series from another 7 episodes of cringe.
I must admit that I have only seen the first five episodes of this series, so I am sorry if this review gives an incomplete picture.
The story begins rather chaotically, but my girlfriend and I gave it the benefit of the doubt and continued watching: after the 5th episode we realised it was a useless venture: it didn't get any better. If anything, it got worse. To the point where I just couldn't follow the story anymore.
The characters also didn't speak to me at all. Saki Uno pretty much had a standard magical girl-personality without any interesting characteristics. At first her best friend, Sakuyo Mikage, seemed to be rather interesting. The way she boldly told Saki that she was attracted to her was an interesting turn of events. However, Sakuyo turned out to be the stereotype of a sexually agressive lesbian, which was dissapointing. Her brother, Mohiro Mikage, who is Saki's love interest was one of the most boring characters I have ever seen in a series.
This series also gives some sexist messages: in the first episode it is said that the magical girls have a men's body because 'men's bodies are more suitable for fighting'. I don't want to be one of those overly femist guys, but in my opinion, that is pretty sexist. Another thing that bothered me (that is not sexist per se) was how they kept focussing on age. Saki's mother used to be a magical girl as well, but had to retire because she became 'too old'. In the series, it is implied that once you are over 20, you are old and useless. I know that this series sjhouldn't be taken too seriously because it is a parody, but somehow, it doesn't pull that off well and just seems offensive.
There were some decent things about this anime that prevented me from rating it 1. The animation was alright but not visually creative. I think Kokoro-chan, the stereotype yakuza guy who was the 'kawai' mascot, was an amusing concept.
So to sum it up: the story and characters were dull, there were some disturbing messages about gender and age in this anime and overall the anime just couldn't entice me. The animation was decent and there were some amusing gigs in it. Even though I have seen only the first 5 episodes, I suspect it takes a real magical girl to save this series from another 7 episodes of cringe.
